Tag: crime fiction

A deadly gift

Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her parents dead at the breakfast table, along with a message from their killer.

A twist of fate

Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen join the investigation, but the more they discover, the more Jazzy suspects that the killing is a twisted message for her. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen, and believes that this is more than a coincidence.

A race to catch a killer

When Jazzy discovers the connection between the killer and the stalker who has been following her for years, she is forced to confront the dark past she was desperate to keep hidden. She must stop at
nothing to solve the case before she becomes the next victim…

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Liz Mistry moved to West Yorkshire in the late 1980s. Her gritty crime fiction police procedural novels set in Bradford embrace the city she describes as ‘Warm, Rich and Fearless’ whilst exploring the darkness that lurks beneath. Yet, her heart remains in Scotland, where childhood tales of bogey men, Bible John and grey lady ghosts fed her imagination.
Her latest work, The Solanki and McQueen crime series is set around West Lothian, where she uses the distinctive landscape, historic heritage and Scottish culture as a backdrop to her gritty yet often humorous stories.
Struggling with clinical depression and anxiety for many years, Liz often includes mental health themes in her writing. She credits her MA in Creative Writing from Leeds Trinity University with helping her find a way of using her writing to navigate her ongoing mental health struggles. The
synergy between creative and academic writing led Liz to complete a doctorate in creative writing researching the importance of representation of marginalised groups within the genre she loves.
Her husband, three children and huge extended British Indian family are a constant support to her.
In her spare time, Liz loves visiting the varied Scottish and Yorkshire landscape, travelling, listening to music, reading and blogging about all things crime fiction on her website blog, The Crime Warp.

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My thoughts: Liz’s books are a must read for me, I really like how she writes and the characters and stories she creates. This newest book is no exception.

I love Jazzy and the hilarious Queenie aka the Jazz Queens (the name does need work!) as they and their colleagues attempt to solve this grisly case. Jazzy is pretty sure the killer is leaving messages just for her, and that her past is vital in solving the case and putting a killer behind bars. But facing up to her sad start in life is hard and admitting that she’d far rather pretend it didn’t happen is never easy. Thankfully she’s got support from those around her, who won’t let her get too bound up in it.

The twists are pretty shocking and I didn’t see them coming, it’s all revealed so carefully. Hopefully this is the start of another great series of stories from a writer I really enjoy reading.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own

Welcome to the beautiful English village of Inkbury. Tucked deep in the North Wessex Downs, its only claim to fame is the picturesque riverside that once appeared in a Richard Curtis movie. That is, until the murder…

Former stand-up comic Juno Mulligan has been suffering a serious sense-of-humour failure. Not only has she lost the love of her life, but she’s having to relocate to the (admittedly idyllic) village of Inkbury to watch out for her elderly mother, who she’s genuinely worried might be marrying a wife-killer.

She hopes that her old friend, disgraced-journalist-turned-novelist Phoebe Fredericks can help her crack the case of whether her mother’s perma-tanned, iceberg-smiled, three-times-a-widower fiancé is hiding a murderous past.

But before they have a chance, the local art dealer washes up distinctly dead in the village’s famous river. His lover is in the frame, but Juno and Phoebe suspect that there is a deeper secret… One that relates to Phoebe’s own past and Juno’s present.

Will the unofficial Village Detective Agency solve the mystery before the killer strikes again? In sleepy Inkbury, as they soon discover, living one’s best midlife can be murder.

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Fiona Walker is the million copy bestselling author of joyously funny romantic comedies. Most recently published by Head of Zeus, she will be turning to cosy crime for Boldwood. The first in her new Village Detectives series, The Art of Murder, will be published in May 2024.

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My thoughts: this was a really fun read, I loved Phoebe and Juno, and obviously Mil the waiter with his motorbike and crazy fake deaths.

When local art dealer Si drops dead and falls into the river outside Mil’s pub, Juno decides the friends should investigate his death, having the local insight and being the ones who found the body.

Is it his partner in business and life, Oliver? His mother, as suggested by one of his sisters, a professional rival or is it someone from his past?

As they investigate, asking questions and looking into who Si was, Phoebe is trying  to finish her next book, and Juno is convinced her mother’s boyfriend is a serial killer – all three of his previous wives died in strange circumstances and he might be after her mum’s money as she’s suddenly selling the family home and moving into a retirement community.

They’re all a little eccentric and I just really enjoyed reading the book, which hopefully bodes well for the rest of this series – murder in an English village is a subgenre I particularly like reading (although I can’t stand the phrase “cosy crime”) and with these characters, it will be lots of fun.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

Every family has a secret.

The mega-rich Pallanders are used to luxury – a castle in the Scottish Highlands, a villa in Tuscany, a billion-dollar fortune and an island in the Caribbean – but their perfect life is about to be shattered.

 

Every father has a favourite.

Sebastian Pallander dies, leaving a pitiful amount of money to his wife and children. His family fight over the scraps as old rivalries and bitter jealousies come to the surface. And when Pallander’s son is killed in mysterious circumstances, everyone suspects foul play.

 

Every killer has a motive.

After a desperate race for survival, the relatives gather at their estate to weather the storm. They all begin to wonder: who will be next? Where has all their money gone? And will any of them get what they truly deserve?

Denzil Meyrick is from Campbeltown on the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll. After studying politics, he enjoyed a varied career as a police officer, distillery manager, and director of several companies. He is the No.1 bestselling author of the DCI Daley series and is now an executive producer of a major TV adaptation of his books.

 
Denzil lives on Loch Lomondside in Scotland with his wife Fiona and cats. You can find him on Twitter @Lochlomonden, Facebook @DenzilMeyrickAuthor, or on his website: www.denzilmeyrick.com

My thoughts:  ‘The family – that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.’ (Dodie Smith)

That quote ran through my brain as I read about the quite frankly spoilt and pretty awful Pallander family. After the patriarch drops dead live on TV, his family gather to hear his will. Which definitely isn’t what they expected.

Police Scotland’s Secession, Inheritance and Executory Department (SIE), which specialises in crimes relating to inheritance, led by DI Cara Salt, is on hand when things take a nasty turn – one Pallander killed, another missing and a third almost kidnapped. Someone is targeting the family, and as they unite in the family home, they and the police are determined to find out what’s really going on.

Clever, full of twists and turns, with a whole houseful of untrustworthy protagonists with motives, corruption and links to dubious oligarchs, there’s a lot to unpack but it’s so well done and the rot goes all the way to the top. Great stuff.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

Last Testament in Bologna is the fourth in Tom Benjamin’s critically-acclaimed Bologna-set series featuring British private detective Daniel Leicester.

When an old man makes a bequest to investigate the mysterious death of his son, English detective Daniel Leicester follows a trail to one of Bologna’s wealthiest families – makers of some of the world’s most coveted supercars – and discovers that beneath the glamour of the Formula One circuit lurk sinister interests that may be prepared to kill to keep their secrets.

 

Tom Benjamin grew up in the suburbs of north London and began his working life as a journalist before becoming a spokesman for Scotland Yard. He later moved into public health, where he led drugs awareness programme FRANK. He now lives in Bologna. Follow Tom @tombenjaminsays on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or at tombenjamin.com

 

Praise for Tom Benjamin:

‘The locale is brought to life.’ The Times

‘The first division of crime writers’ Daily Mail

‘Ideal holiday reading for those pining for the tastes and smells of the Mediterranean’ The Herald, Scotland

‘Outstanding… An essential guide for armchair travelers to Italy.’ Publishers Weekly (US)

‘As many twists and turns as a plate of spaghetti’ Italia!

‘An insider’s view of life in the heart of Bologna – I felt transported there.’ Harriet Tyce

My thoughts: called in to hear the will reading of a former engineer, Daniel and the Comandante are charged by the deceased to investigate the death of his youngest son. Ruled an accident, the father never believed there wasn’t something suspicious about a racing car driver messing up a turn and driving over a drop-off.

As Daniel digs into world of Formula One racing, and the personal lives of the …. family, the Comandante is in hospital for a hip replacement, the family are all worried about him, even though it’s a straightforward operation.

Dolores seems to be undertaking her own investigation, and Daniel is a bit worried about her, and he’s teaching Rose to drive, which is a little harrowing in its own way.

It was great to be back in Bologna with Daniel and the team/family, I don’t know anything really about Formula One, and it wasn’t really needed, thankfully, as the case boils down to people and relationships. There’s lots of fathers and sons,  and father-in-law/son including Daniel and the Comandante here, some relationships better than others. And Daniel is good at understanding people.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home of Raven’s Edge after eighteen long years away, she finds the perfect English village looks much the same – all rose-covered cottages, nosy
neighbours, and quaint teashops full of scones and gossip.

But her nostalgic visit takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of Milla’s own mother, whose death was never solved. As she begins to investigate the connection, Milla realises this adorable village is guarding some dark secrets.

Handsome, grumpy local police detective Ben Taylor doesn’t believe in coincidences, and he doesn’t think mysterious newcomer Milla Graham is as blameless as she seems. Why is she really here in
Raven’s Edge, and how come she keeps turning up at his crime scenes, causing trouble? Can he solve this murder case without losing himself – or his heart – to the rather distracting Ms Graham?

When another body is found, everyone becomes a suspect – from the barmaid at the local pub toMilla Graham herself. It seems that in Raven’s Edge, not everybody is as friendly, or as innocent, as they first seem.

This picture-perfect English village is full of rumour, romance… and murder! A gripping, funny, absolutely unputdownable murder mystery, which is perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Fiona Leitch and M.C. Beaton.

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My thoughts: Milla Graham has returned to the village she left as a child in order to find out what really happened the night her mother and siblings died. She was also supposedly killed that night, which is causing some problems.

When a body is found in the ruins of her old family home, complete with her missing purse and ID, things get even more complicated.

DI Ben Taylor, who also grew up in the village, is intrigued by Milla, but also a bit suspicious. Her story doesn’t entirely add up. Both Ben and Milla are trying to solve the murder, and then another body turns up.

Things get very complicated and Milla’s family is very messy and pretty terrible. There’s a lot of things she’s believed, that turn out to be false, and others that when she finds out, answer questions she had a long time. And she and Ben are falling for each other.

A gruesome murder in charming Raven’s Edge sends Milla Graham sleuthing to catch a killer, win back her detective ex, and dig up a decades-old secret along the way…

When a shocking murder rocks the picture-perfect English village of Raven’s Edge, erstwhile amateur detective Milla Graham finds herself right at the centre of the mystery. Still reeling from her recent
breakup with local police officer Ben Taylor, Milla sets her sights on solving the case, hoping to win Ben back.

But when the evidence begins to point to Milla’s old friend and former paramour Lorcan Black, she must choose between her loyalties to the past and the possibilities of the future. Meanwhile, Ben is on a different trail – he’s begun to suspect that the murderer could be someone from his own family’s dark history.

Further complicating matters are Milla’s meddling grandmother, Ben’s no-nonsense police partner Harriet and David the surprisingly young and sexy new vicar.

With shocking twists around every
cobblestone corner, the truth refuses to stay buried for long in this quaint village, whose picture-postcard façade hides decades of buried grudges, plots, and betrayal.

Will Milla solve the mystery in time to rescue her relationship with Ben? Can Ben face the skeletons in his family’s closet before one of his own relatives meets the same bloody end?

Brimming with drama, intrigue, romance and quirky characters, this addictive tale will have cosy mystery fans racing through the pages long into the night. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Fiona Leitch will love this book!

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My thoughts: Ben and Milla are now in a relationship, although things are not smooth sailing. A headless body is found in the village pond, and an unconscious rock star is found in the local church.

The rock star turns out to be a member of Ben’s family – and this case turns out to be connected to the relatives he prefers not to acknowledge. His father and uncles were all involved in a crime years before – and the younger generation have all dealt with it differently.

But did Ben’s cousin kill the woman in the pond or is someone taking out a vendetta on the family?

Once again Milla and Ben are both investigating, one more officially than the other, as Lorcan turns out to be someone Milla knows, this doesn’t help Ben and Milla’s relationship as she’s not keen to talk as usual.

There’s a highwayman on a horse, wielding a sword, which ties into an old legend about the town, a raven called Eddie, and Harriet eats an enormous amount of cookies, as she fancies the barista (just ask him out!) and I have really enjoyed these two books and can’t wait to see what happens next in this far from sleepy village. 

Louise Marley writes murder mysteries and romantic comedies. She is lucky enough to live in a village where there is a famous library and TWO ruined castles. (Her husband still thinks they moved
there by accident.)
Her first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s ‘Write a Bestseller’ competition. She has also written articles for the Irish press and short stories for women’s
magazines such as Take a Break and My Weekly. Previously, Louise worked as a civilian administrative officer for the police.

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*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

The truth is never skin deep.
 
It was supposed to be a romantic getaway weekend in New York City. Breanna’s new boyfriend, Ty, took care of everything—the train tickets, the dinner reservations, the rented four-story luxury rowhouse in Jersey City with a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. But when Bree comes downstairs their final morning, she’s shocked. There’s a stranger laying dead in the foyer, and Ty is nowhere to be found.
 
A Black woman alone in a new city, Bree is stranded and out of her depth—especially when it becomes clear the dead woman is none other than Janelle Beckett, the missing woman the entire Internet has become obsessed with. There’s only one person Bree can turn to: her ex-best friend, a lawyer with whom she shares a very complicated past. As the police and a social media mob close in, all looking for #JusticeForJanelle, Bree realizes that the only way she can help Ty—or herself—is to figure out what really happened that last night.
 
But when people only see what they want to see, can she uncover the truth hiding in plain sight?

Kellye Garrett is the author of Like a Sister—an Edgar nominee for Best Novel, Anthony Award winner for Best Hardcover Mystery, and Lefty Award winner for Best Mystery—as well as Hollywood Homicide, which won Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Independent Publisher “IPPY” awards for Best First Novel and was named one of Time’s 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time and BookBub’s Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time, and Hollywood Ending, which was nominated for both Anthony and Lefty awards. Prior to writing novels, Garrett spent eight years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for Cold Case. She is a New Jersey native, a cofounder of Crime Writers of Color, and a former board member of Sisters in Crime.
 

My thoughts: this was a really interesting, thought provoking, and enjoyable read. I liked Bree, who after finding a dead body in her Air B&B and her boyfriend going missing, turns detective in order to prove that neither she or Ty, her boyfriend, had anything to do with the body she found.

With a blend of social media and traditional news media dogging her – Bree is relying on the blend of both to keep her updated, even after she gets doxxed, and help her figure things out. The current obsession with true crime and citizen detectives puts pressure on the police to move faster as the 24/7 online focus is getting in the way.

Bree can’t risk being seen at the crime scene but she needs to find clues, things she half remembered that might prove her innocence and give her the key to why the woman in the Air B&B was left there and Ty vanished. 

There’s a serious point to this book too – the hyper focus on missing attractive white women that means missing and murdered women of colour are overlooked and receive little to no coverage in either traditional media or online. Had Bree been the victim, the chances are no one would be obsessing about her and trying to find her killer in the same way.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

A woman scorned…

On board the superyacht Perseus, moored in the glamorous harbour in Antibes, Freya Addison is settling into her new role as hostess.
The other crew members all like Freya, she is calm and diligent and a hard worker, but what they don’t know is that Freya has a secret and an ulterior motive for being on board.
Revenge will be hers.

Because Freya isn’t here to travel the world in style. She has her sights set on one thing only, bringing down the owner of the yacht – the rich and arrogant Julian Falcon.
A man who ripped the heart out of Freya’s family.
And a man she will make pay…

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Evie Hunter is a British author and a bit of a nomad, who’s spent the last twenty years roaming the world and finding inspiration from the places she’s visited. An animal lover and recently widowed, she’s now settled back in the UK with her rescued Spanish Podenco, Markos. Keep up to date with all her releases by joining her mailing list

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My thoughts: set on a glamorous yacht sailing to Ibiza, this is a tale of revenge, dodgy money and terrible men. Freya has joined the crew to get back at the man she blames for her sister’s death – Julian Falcon, he’s a dodgy dealer with fingers in various pies, only someone’s swiped his latest pile of suspiciously acquired money, the police are after him and he’s planning to stitch up some underlings and scarper.

Freya discovers she isn’t the only person who hates Falcon and wants him arrested or dead. But when a murder occurs in an Ibizan hotel and it’s linked to Falcon, all plans are on hold till the local police carry out their investigation. No one wants to draw attention to their own scheme.

There’s a lot going on here, revenge plots, stolen money, police in two countries taking notice of the yacht’s owner, various iffy people attached to Falcon, a murder, and it doesn’t all seem to connect up at first, but slowly, as the characters assemble all the pieces, it’s clear that Falcon is up to his neck and running out of time too. Not everyone will be happy with the fall out but some at least will feel they’ve got what they wanted.

I liked Freya, she didn’t have a particularly detailed plan to get her revenge but she was determined to find a way to make Falcon pay – she couldn’t link him to her sister’s death directly, but in teaming up with the boat’s captain and a few others with access and revenge on their minds, she’s able to get more than enough evidence, the murder is a bit of a bonus as it gets the police involved very quickly, without her having to take too many risks.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.